Djokovic Rewrites Record Books Once Again With Opening Win At Arthur Ashe Stadium
Less than a month after charting his way into the Olympics record books, Novak Djokovic has now made history at the 2024 US Open following his majestic first-round win.
Djokovic defeated World No. 138 Radu Albot 6-2, 6-2, 6-4 in about two hours to progress into the second round. With the victory, he earned a measure of “revenge” for his family after the Moldovan beat his two younger brothers in the past on the Challenger Tour.
This was Djokovic’s first match since the Paris Olympics, where he became the fifth player to complete the Golden Slam after his thrilling victory over Carlos Alcaraz. He is also the oldest tennis player to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games (singles).
But it doesn’t seem like the Serbian is stopping anytime soon, despite lingering questions about his motivation from now on. In fact, before the tournament started, Djokovic insisted that he was still self-driven to compete at the highest level after the Olympics win.
By beating Albot under the lights, he became the man with the most match wins (78) inside the Arthur Ashe Stadium in US Open history, surpassing Roger Federer. When he was informed about it during his on-court interview, Djokovic was not aware of the record he just set.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium is the main stadium and the symbol of the US Open. It can house at least 20,000 spectators in a single match. It is the biggest tennis stadium in terms of seating capacity and is named after American tennis icon and civil rights advocate Arthur Ashe.
“I wasn’t aware of it to be honest.. It’s the biggest stadium. Definitely the loudest we have in the history of our sport. The night sessions are the best in the world on Arthur Ashe.. ever since the roof was introduced it became even louder.”
“Electric atmosphere. Incredible energy. Obviously, with some new rules this year with the crowd able to move around, there are a lot of things happening on court we’re clocking midnight right now. I love night seasons.. maybe not this late.. but nevertheless it was great fun. I want to thank everybody for staying. I appreciate you.”
When Djokovic competed at the US Open last year, he defeated Borna Gojo to set a new record for the most night session match wins at the tournament. He would go on to win his 24th Grand Slam.
Djokovic’s victory over Albot was his 89th overall at the US Open, where he won four titles. He ties Roger Federer in second place and only trails the retired Jimmy Connors, who has 98.
The 37-year-old will most likely need to play at least one more edition of the US Open to break Connors’ feat, which has stood the test of time. He can attain a maximum of six victories in the next two weeks, taking his tally to 95.
But for now, his focus will be on his second-round match against compatriot Lalso Djere, who stretched him to five sets at the same stage last year. Will he record his 90th US Open match win?
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